Antonio Caldara, classical music composer

Antonio Caldara

Biography

A lesser contemporary of the Baroque period's great masters,
Antonio Caldara was a prolific composer of opera and vocal music, for which he
is predominantly known today. Born around 1670 in Venice, his father was a
local violinist. He served as a choirboy at St. Mark's Cathedral where he
learned to play the viol, cello, and keyboard, possibly under the tutelage of
Giovanni Legrenzi, the Cathedral's maestro
di cappella. Little is known of Caldara's musical activities during this
time. Few of his work from this period survive, and among them are his only
instrumental pieces.

In 1699, Caldara left Venice for Mantua where he entered the
service of Charles IV, Duke of Mantua, a pensionary of France and prone to
lavish operatic productions. None of his music during the eight years he spent
in the Duke's service has survived. He left Mantua in 1707, after the Duke paid
heavily for backing the French in the War of the Spanish
Succession. The following year, Caldara was in Rome where he settled
comfortably into the city's musical life. He became acquainted with other
composers present in Rome at the time, such as Handel and Corelli, and
eventually was employed by Prince Ruspoli as maestro di cappella. In Rome, he composed a significant amount of
music, including operas, oratorios, solo cantatas and two- and three-voice
motets.

Following his marriage to Caterina Petrolli, Caldara
travelled to Vienna and Milan. In 1715, he secured a post in the former city as
vice-Kapellmeister under the Johann Joseph Fux. Settling in the Austrian
capital the following year, his new position was particularly demanding,
requiring him to compose a significant amount of music each year. He kept up
with the pace required, and even accepted outside commissions, but there was a
noticeable change in his compositional style. Prior to his appointment in
Vienna, his music displayed a keen sense of detail and craftsmanship to be
expected of the late Baroque. However, with his new demanding schedule,
Caldara's became texturally thinner and less meticulous in detail. Nonetheless,
he remained an active composer until his death on December 28, 1736.